West Mercia Police hands out almost £600k in fines for mobile phone offences.
Nearly 700 people were taken to court to pay the penalty for device distractions
West Mercia Police has issued well over half a million pounds worth of fines to drivers distracted by their phones on the road – in just two years.
The force dished out 1,734 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) between April 2024 and March 2025.
Personal injury claim experts Accident Claims Advice gathered data showing that this was a worrying 49% increase on the 1,163 FPNs sent to drivers in the preceding year.
This means that West Mercia drivers have been hit with £579,400 worth of fines over two years for using devices while driving.
A law against making mobile phone calls or sending messages while driving in Great Britain has been in place since 2003.
However, three years ago, the law became stricter, meaning that any use of a handheld device would trigger an offence, resulting in a £200 fine and six penalty points on your licence.
While 1,886 people have paid a combined £377,200 in fixed penalties, another 684 were prosecuted in court, where the fine can rise to as high as £1,000.
West Mercia Police told Accident Claims Advice that courts imposed £97,474 worth of fines for mobile phone offences between April 2023 and March 2025.
The force added that 17 road traffic accidents leading to injury had a driver using a mobile phone as a contributory factory in the same period. Of those, one was fatal.
Accident Claims Advice solicitor Michael Higgins said: “The number of mobile phone driving offences is extremely worrying – especially given the potentially devastating consequences of someone not paying full attention when operating a vehicle.
“A road traffic accident caused by someone looking at their phone while driving could turn a person’s life upside down in a split second.
“It’s important that they know that legal support is available to them if they want to seek compensation for the harm they suffered.”
Accident Claims Advice is a support service that offers guidance on personal injury compensation claims, including legal action for people injured in road traffic accidents.
It connects potential claimants with expert personal injury solicitors and operates a free 24/7 support line on 0800 6524 881.
Source: https://www.accidentclaimsadvice.org.uk/road-traffic-accident-claims/
